South Australian government launches unusual bid to bring Brewdog to Adelaide

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South Australian officials want Brewdog to set up shop in Adelaide (Source: Brewdog)

Alys Key

The government of South Australia has launched an unusual bid to attract Scottish craft brewer Brewdog to invest in its state.

Deputy agent general James Mraz has released a video and letter to Brewdog founders Martin Dickie and James Watt, calling them "wankers" for not responding to attempts by South Australia's London office to get in touch.

Last month Brewdog put out an announcement that it was looking for a site to build a brewery in Australia, mentioning Brisbane in Queensland and Newcastle in New South Wales as possibilities. It asked its customers to send in suggestions for its new site.

Bill Muirhead, agent general of South Australia, leads a London-based team to encourage European investment in the state. His team, said Mraz, tried to contact Brewdog's founders encouraging them to come to Adelaide, but apparently to no avail.

Now his office has put out a public bid for the brewery to be in Adelaide, with Mraz filming the video and Muirhead penning a letter to Dickie and Watt.

“Bit surprised we haven’t heard back. In Adelaide we pour beer on our Weet-Bix and use it as sunscreen. It's an oasis for beer-swilling small business. Scrappy buggers like you are the state’s lifeblood. We thought you’d be knocking down our door," said Muirhead.